Engineering Papers⌕ Search

SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “ACOUSTIC SCATTERING”

Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 559 records · Page 31

Ground testing at MSFC

The large-scale field collection of acoustic data and their analysis are described in this review. The entire sound-field program has the purpose of solving complex problems of excessive noise propagation associated with the static test firing of large space-booster powerplants. The site of data collection has been Mississippi Test Facility (MTF), where far-field sound-propagation and correlated meteorological measurements were initiated in 1962. The statistical evaluation of sound-measurement data shows that the polar distribution of sound in the springtime (at MTF) is determined mainly by the temperature field of the atmosphere. Greater deformation of sound-intensity polar distribution occurs in the autumn as a result of the influence of the wind field. The data on sound attenuation as a function of distance from its source revealed attenuation in excess of the expected magnitude. The excess was mainly between 1 and 10 kilometers from the source, with maximum attenuation (17 to 18 decibels) near 6 kilometers. Excess sound attenuation was compared with calculated sound dispersion. For all sound frequencies in all seasons the deviation between reference and empirical attenuation values formed a bell-shaped distribution on a semilogarithmic plot. The physical causes for the sound- attenuation behavior are considered to be atmospheric diffraction and scattering effects. Statistical analysis of sod-intensity extremes indicated amplification of the sound signals by focusing which could be expected along selected azimuths. Empirical amplification values showed the maximum occurring in winter (50 decibels at 22 kilometers). For the analysis of correlation between empirical sound data and local atmospheric sound- propagation conditions, #e concept of analytical classification of sound-velocity profiles has been developed. Examination of over a quarter-million individual sound-velocity profiles indicates that 33 profile types for heights up to 3 kilometers constitute the empirical possibilities of sound-propagation conditions in southeastern United States. Since the focusing qualities of each sound- velocity profile can be determined as a class characteristic, the overall probabilities of focusing occurrence can he obtained. The severity of focusing, as based upon lateral spread of focusing areas, has been determined. The data for MTF indicate focusing is most severe in winter, with the direction toward east being most affected. Sound propagation is a fluctuating phenomenon because atmospheric conditions vary continuously. A measuring system for analyzing the nonstationary sound-propagation phenomena has been established. The analysis of the acoustic fluctuation data is sup- posed to provide "dynamic” perturbation functions of sound, which are to be superimposed on the related characteristic sound-velocity-profile type. The ultimate result of the program will be the establishment of reliable contingency tables showing the relationship between atmospheric parameters and far-field sound intensities. These data will be the basis for more accurate sound-propagation forecasting for static firing tests.

STATIC TESTING↗

Variable-permittivity linear inverse problem for the H(sub z)-polarized case

The H(sub z)-polarized inverse problem has rarely been studied before due to the complicated way in which the unknown permittivity appears in the wave equation. This problem is equivalent to the acoustic inverse problem with variable density. We have recently reported the solution to the nonlinear variable-permittivity H(sub z)-polarized inverse problem using the Born iterative method. Here, the linear inverse problem is solved for permittivity (epsilon) and permeability (mu) using a different approach which is an extension of the basic ideas of diffraction tomography (DT). The key to solving this problem is to utilize frequency diversity to obtain the required independent measurements. The receivers are assumed to be in the far field of the object, and plane wave incidence is also assumed. It is assumed that the scatterer is weak, so that the Born approximation can be used to arrive at a relationship between the measured pressure field and two terms related to the spatial Fourier transform of the two unknowns, epsilon and mu. The term involving permeability corresponds to monopole scattering and that for permittivity to dipole scattering. Measurements at several frequencies are used and a least squares problem is solved to reconstruct epsilon and mu. It is observed that the low spatial frequencies in the spectra of epsilon and mu produce inaccuracies in the results. Hence, a regularization method is devised to remove this problem. Several results are shown. Low contrast objects for which the above analysis holds are used to show that good reconstructions are obtained for both permittivity and permeability after regularization is applied.

Moghaddam, M.↗

Flap Edge Aeroacoustic Measurements and Predictions

An aeroacoustic model test has been conducted to investigate the mechanisms of sound generation on high-lift wing configurations. This paper presents an analysis of flap side-edge noise, which is often the most dominant source. A model of a main element wing section with a half-span flap was tested at low speeds of up to a Mach number of 0.17, corresponding to a wing chord Reynolds number of approximately 1.7 million. Results are presented for flat (or blunt), flanged, and round flap-edge geometries, with and without boundary-layer tripping, deployed at both moderate and high flap angles. The acoustic database is obtained from a Small Aperture Directional Array (SADA) of microphones, which was constructed to electronically steer to different regions of the model and to obtain farfield noise spectra and directivity from these regions. The basic flap-edge aerodynamics is established by static surface pressure data, as well as by Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) calculations and simplified edge flow analyses. Distributions of unsteady pressure sensors over the flap allow the noise source regions to be defined and quantified via cross-spectral diagnostics using the SADA output. It is found that shear layer instability and related pressure scatter is the primary noise mechanism. For the flat edge flap, two noise prediction methods based on unsteady-surface-pressure measurements are evaluated and compared to measured noise. One is a new causality spectral approach developed here. The other is a new application of an edge-noise scatter prediction method. The good comparisons for both approaches suggest that much of the physics is captured by the prediction models. Areas of disagreement appear to reveal when the assumed edge noise mechanism does not fully define, the noise production. For the different edge conditions, extensive spectra and directivity are presented. Significantly, for each edge configuration, the spectra for different flow speeds, flap angles, and surface roughness were successfully scaled by utilizing aerodynamic performance and boundary layer scaling method developed herein.

Brooks, Thomas F.↗

Flap Edge Aeroacoustic Measurements and Predictions

An aeroacoustic model test has been conducted to investigate the mechanisms of sound generation on high-lift wing configurations. This paper presents an analysis of flap side-edge noise, which is often the most dominant source. A model of a main element wing section with a half-span flap was tested at low speeds of up to a Mach number of 0.17, corresponding to a wing chord Reynolds number of approximately 1.7 million. Results are presented for flat (or blunt), flanged, and round flap-edge geometries, with and without boundary-layer tripping, deployed at both moderate and high flap angles. The acoustic database is obtained from a Small Aperture Directional Array (SADA) of microphones, which was constructed to electronically steer to different regions of the model and to obtain farfield noise spectra and directivity from these regions. The basic flap-edge aerodynamics is established by static surface pressure data, as well as by Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) calculations and simplified edge flow analyses. Distributions of unsteady pressure sensors over the flap allow the noise source regions to be defined and quantified via cross-spectral diagnostics using the SADA output. It is found that shear layer instability and related pressure scatter is the primary noise mechanism. For the flat edge flap, two noise prediction methods based on unsteady surface pressure measurements are evaluated and compared to measured noise. One is a new causality spectral approach developed here. The other is a new application of an edge-noise scatter prediction method. The good comparisons for both approaches suggest that much of the physics is captured by the prediction models. Areas of disagreement appear to reveal when the assumed edge noise mechanism does not fully define the noise production. For the different edge conditions, extensive spectra and directivity are presented. Significantly, for each edge configuration, the spectra for different flow speeds, flap angles, and surface roughness were successfully scaled by utilizing aerodynamic performance and boundary layer scaling methods developed herein.

Brooks, Thomas F.↗

Nondestructive evaluation of sintered ceramics

Radiography and several acoustic and thermoacoustic microscopy techniques are investigated for application to structural ceramics for advanced heat engines. A comparison is made of the results obtained from the use of scanning acoustic microscopy (SAM), scanning laser acoustic microscopy (SLAM), and thermoacoustic microscopy (TAM). These techniques are evaluated on research samples of green and sintered monolithic silicon nitrides and silicon carbides in the form of modulus-of-rupture (MOR) bars containing deliberately introduced flaws. Strengths and limitations of the techniques are described, with the emphasis being on statistics of detectability of flaws that constitute potential fracture origins. Further, it is shown that radiographic evaluation and guidance helped develop uniform high-density Si3N4 MOR bars with improved four-point flexural strength (875, 544, and 462 MPa at room temperature, 1200 C, 1370 C, respectively) and reduced scatter in bend strength.

Baaklini, George Y.↗

Single-defect phonons imaged by electron microscopy

Crystal defects affect the thermal and heat-transport properties of materials by scattering phonons and modifying phonon spectra. To appreciate how imperfections in solids influence thermal conductivity and diffusivity, it is thus essential to understand phonon–defect interactions. Sophisticated theories are available to explore such interactions, but experimental validation is limited because most phonon-detecting spectroscopic methods do not reach the high spatial resolution needed to resolve local vibrational spectra near individual defects. In this paper, we demonstrate that space- and angle-resolved vibrational spectroscopy in a transmission electron microscope makes it possible to map the vibrational spectra of individual crystal defects. We detect a red shift of several millielectronvolts in the energy of acoustic vibration modes near a single stacking fault in cubic silicon carbide, together with substantial changes in their intensity, and find that these changes are confined to within a few nanometres of the stacking fault. These observations illustrate that the capabilities of a state-of-the-art transmission electron microscope open the door to the direct mapping of phonon propagation around defects, which is expected to provide useful guidance for engineering the thermal properties of materials.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Development of an Experimental Rig for Investigation of Higher Order Modes in Ducts

Continued progress to reduce fan noise emission from high bypass ratio engine ducts in aircraft increasingly relies on accurate description of the sound propagation in the duct. A project has been undertaken at NASA Langley Research Center to investigate the propagation of higher order modes in ducts with flow. This is a two-pronged approach, including development of analytic models (the subject of a separate paper) and installation of a laboratory-quality test rig. The purposes of the rig are to validate the analytical models and to evaluate novel duct acoustic liner concepts, both passive and active. The dimensions of the experimental rig test section scale to between 25% and 50% of the aft bypass ducts of most modern engines. The duct is of rectangular cross section so as to provide flexibility to design and fabricate test duct liner samples. The test section can accommodate flow paths that are straight through or offset from inlet to discharge, the latter design allowing investigation of the effect of curvature on sound propagation and duct liner performance. The maximum air flow rate through the duct is Mach 0.3. Sound in the duct is generated by an array of 16 high-intensity acoustic drivers. The signals to the loudspeaker array are generated by a multi-input/multi-output feedforward control system that has been developed for this project. The sound is sampled by arrays of flush-mounted microphones and a modal decomposition is performed at the frequency of sound generation. The data acquisition system consists of two arrays of flush-mounted microphones, one upstream of the test section and one downstream. The data are used to determine parameters such as the overall insertion loss of the test section treatment as well as the effect of the treatment on a modal basis such as mode scattering. The methodology used for modal decomposition is described, as is a description of the mode generation control system. Data are presented which demonstrate the performance of the controller to generate the desired mode while suppressing all other cut on modes in the duct.

Gerhold, Carl H.↗

The Airframe Noise Reduction Challenge

The NASA goal of reducing external aircraft noise by 10 dB in the near-term presents the acoustics community with an enormous challenge. This report identifies technologies with the greatest potential to reduce airframe noise. Acoustic and aerodynamic effects will be discussed, along with the likelihood of industry accepting and implementing the different technologies. We investigate the lower bound, defined as noise generated by an aircraft modified with a virtual retrofit capable of eliminating all noise associated with the high lift system and landing gear. However, the airframe noise of an aircraft in this 'clean' configuration would only be about 8 dB quieter on approach than current civil transports. To achieve the NASA goal of 10 dB noise reduction will require that additional noise sources be addressed. Research shows that energy in the turbulent boundary layer of a wing is scattered as it crosses trailing edge. Noise generated by scattering is the dominant noise mechanism on an aircraft flying in the clean configuration. Eliminating scattering would require changes to much of the aircraft, and practical reduction devices have yet to receive serious attention. Evidence suggests that to meet NASA goals in civil aviation noise reduction, we need to employ emerging technologies and improve landing procedures; modified landing patterns and zoning restrictions could help alleviate aircraft noise in communities close to airports.

Lockard, David P.↗

A Linear Bicharacteristic FDTD Method

The linear bicharacteristic scheme (LBS) was originally developed to improve unsteady solutions in computational acoustics and aeroacoustics [1]-[7]. It is a classical leapfrog algorithm, but is combined with upwind bias in the spatial derivatives. This approach preserves the time-reversibility of the leapfrog algorithm, which results in no dissipation, and it permits more flexibility by the ability to adopt a characteristic based method. The use of characteristic variables allows the LBS to treat the outer computational boundaries naturally using the exact compatibility equations. The LBS offers a central storage approach with lower dispersion than the Yee algorithm, plus it generalizes much easier to nonuniform grids. It has previously been applied to two and three-dimensional freespace electromagnetic propagation and scattering problems [3], [6], [7]. This paper extends the LBS to model lossy dielectric and magnetic materials. Results are presented for several one-dimensional model problems, and the FDTD algorithm is chosen as a convenient reference for comparison.

Beggs, John H.↗

Urban Air Mobility Noise: Current Practice, Gaps, and Recommendations

AN Air Mobility (UAM) is an opportunity for aviation to improve transportation systems across the world. Representative UAM vehicle attributes include electrical vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) vehicles that can accommodate up to 6 passengers (or equivalent cargo), are possibly autonomous, perform missions of up to 100 nautical miles at altitudes up to 3000 ft. above ground level, have flight speeds up to 200 knots, and weigh between 800 and 8000 pounds. Along with the many anticipated benefits, there will be noise issues that need to be addressed. In 2018, NASA formed an Urban Air Mobility Noise Working Group (UNWG) to assemble noise experts from industry, universities and government agencies to identify, discuss, and address UAM noise issues. This oral presentation summarizes technology gaps and goals associated with four areas of interest: Tools & Technologies, Ground & Flight Testing, Human Response & Metrics, and Regulation & Policy, and is drawn from a draft white paper [1] by the same title. Tools & Technologies include noise prediction tools and noise reduction technologies that have been developed for conventional rotorcraft and fixed-wing vehicles that may be applicable or need to be modified for UAM. Prediction tools need to be able to account for variable speed rotors and other temporal variation effects that impact community noise. A reprioritization of noise sources needs to be done since UAM vehicles include multiple rotors/propellers, often in proximity to one another and/or the airframe, with dynamic transition, and new noise sources such as electric motors or hybrid-electric propulsion. Scattering and propagation methods need to be developed that include the vehicle components and surfaces near a receiver such as buildings and vertiports. Validation databases are needed to quantify prediction uncertainties. Prediction tools used to evaluate community noise will need source models appropriate for a wide range of UAM vehicles. Existing noise reduction technologies need to be evaluated and new noise reduction technologies should be developed in anticipation of future noise requirements. Although the prediction and treatment of interior cabin noise is a secondary goal, it is recognized that new tools and methods may be needed due to the uniqueness of the vehicle design and the presence of both acoustic and structure-borne loads. Ground & Flight Testing has been a critical part of validating noise reduction technologies and verifying that an air vehicle is ready for certification. UAM vehicles introduce new challenges for test procedures such as different source noise directivity, unsteady sources due to maneuvers, and a variety of takeoff and approach trajectories. The operating environment will be more complex than current aircraft with the introduction of vertiports in populated areas with “urban canyons” making reflections an important part of noise prediction and annoyance. It is expected that new test procedures and measurement methods will be necessary. Consideration will need to be given for both piloted and autonomous operations. Human Response & Metrics may be very different for UAM noise compared to current experience with airport noise. Current metrics used to certify rotorcraft and fixed-wing aircraft may not be as useful for evaluating UAM noise. Operations at lower altitudes may influence annoyance. Psychoacoustic and community testing will be needed to quantify annoyance and assess appropriate metrics. In addition to conventional noise level metrics, considerations such as audibility and temporal variation of the sound may be required. Differences between indoor or outdoor exposure will have an impact with dependence on urban and residential flight paths. Aircraft noise is currently regulated at a national level and typically involves partnerships with the industry to establish regulations. Regulators realize that current policies and procedures may not be appropriate for some of the emerging air vehicles and new procedures may be needed to address UAM noise. Development of new policies and procedures are needed so that local communities do not hastily attempt to establish their own restrictions that will both limit growth of the market and create an inconsistent and confusing regulatory environment. To expedite this development, it is crucial early measurement data are shared through partnership arrangements to support both noise certification and noise modeling/noise assessment. At the same time, an effective engagement strategy should be developed to address local community noise issues associated with UAM vehicles and flight operations as they arise.

urban air mobility↗

Magnetization dynamics fingerprints of an excitonic condensate t 2 g 4 magnet

The competition between spin-orbit coupling (SOC) λ and electron-electron interaction U leads to a plethora of novel states of matter, extensively studied in the context of t 2 g 4 and t 2 g 5 materials, such as ruthenates and iridates. Excitonic magnets—the antiferromagnetic state of bounded electron-hole pairs-are prominent examples of phenomena driven by those competing energy scales. Interestingly, recent theoretical studies predicted that excitonic magnets can be found in the ground state of SOC t 2 g 4 Hubbard models. Here we present a detailed computational study of the magnetic excitations in that excitonic magnet, employing one-dimensional chains (via density matrix renormalization group) and small two-dimensional clusters (via Lanczos). Specifically, first we show that the low-energy spectrum is dominated by a dispersive (acoustic) magnonic mode, with extra features arising from the λ = 0 state in the phase diagram. Second, and more importantly, we found a novel magnetic excitation forming a high-energy optical mode with the highest intensity at wave-vector q → 0 . In the excitonic condensation regime at large U , we also have found a novel high-energy π mode composed solely of orbital excitations. Overall, these features do not appear all together in any of the neighboring states in the phase diagram and thus constitute unique fingerprints of the t 2 g 4 excitonic magnet, of importance in the analysis of neutron and resonant inelastic x-ray scattering experiments.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Determination of Residual Stress in Composite Materials Using Ultrasonic Waves

The performance of high temperature composites can be significantly affected by the presence of residual stresses. These stresses arise during cooling processes from fabrication to room temperature due to mismatch of thermal expansion coefficients between matrix and fiber materials. This effect is especially pronounced in metal matrix and intermetallic composites. It can lead to plastic deformations, matrix cracking and fiber/matrix interface debonding. In this work the feasibility of ultrasonic techniques for residual stress assessment in composites is addressed. A novel technique for absolute stress determination in orthotropic materials from angular dependencies of ultrasonic velocities is described. The technique is applicable for determination of both applied and residual stresses and does not require calibration measurements on a reference sample. The important advantage of this method is that stress is determined simultaneously with stress-dependent elastic constants and is thus decoupled from the material texture. It is demonstrated that when the principal plane stress directions coincide with acoustical axes, the angular velocity data in the plane perpendicular to the stress plane may be used to determine both stress components. When the stress is off the acoustical axes, the shear and the difference of the normal stress components may be determined from the angular dependence of group velocities in the plane of stresses. Synthetic sets of experimental data corresponding to materials with different anisotropy and stress levels are used to check the applicability of the technique. The method is also verified experimentally. A high precision ultrasonic wave transmission technique is developed to measure angular dependence of ultrasonic velocities. Examples of stress determination from experimental velocity data are given. A method is presented for determination of velocities of ultrasonic waves propagating through the composite material with residual stresses. It is based on the generalized self-consistent multiple scattering model. Calculation results for longitudinal and shear ultrasonic wave velocities propagating perpendicular to the fibers direction in SCS-6/Ti composite with and without residual stresses are presented. They show that velocity changes due to presence of stresses are of order 1%.

Rokhlin, S. I.↗

Transmitted sound field due to an impulsive line acoustic source bounded by a plate followed by a vortex sheet

The propagation of sound due to a line acoustic source in the moving stream across a semiinfinite vortex sheet which trails from a rigid plate is examined in a linear theory for the subsonic case. A solution for the transmitted sound field is obtained with the aid of multiple integral transforms and the Wiener-Hopf technique for both the steady state (time harmonic) and initial value (impulsive source) situations. The contour of inverse transform and hence the decomposition of the functions are determined through causality and radiation conditions. The solution obtained satisfies causality and the full Kutta conditions. The transmitted sound field is composed of two waves in both the stady state and initial value problems. One is the wave scattered from the edge of the plate which is associated with the bow wave and the instability wave. These waves exist in the downstream sectors. The other is the wave transmitted through the vortex sheet which is also associated with the instability wave. Regional divisions of the transmitted sound field are identified.

Miura, T.↗

Utilizing distributed acoustic sensing and ocean bottom fiber optic cables for submarine structural characterization

The sparsity of permanent seismic instrumentation in marine environments often limits the availability of subsea information on geohazards, including active fault systems, in both time and space. One sensing resource that provides observational access to the seafloor environment are existing networks of ocean bottom fiber optic cables; these cables, coupled to modern distributed acoustic sensing (DAS) systems, can provide dense arrays of broadband seismic observations capable of recording both seismic events and the ambient noise wavefield. Here, we report a marine DAS application which demonstrates the strength and limitation of this new technique on submarine structural characterization. Based on ambient noise DAS records on a 20 km section of a fiber optic cable offshore of Moss Landing, CA, in Monterey Bay, we extract Scholte waves from DAS ambient noise records using interferometry techniques and invert the resulting multimodal dispersion curves to recover a high resolution 2D shear-wave velocity image of the near seafloor sediments. We show for the first time that the migration of coherently scattered Scholte waves observed on DAS records can provide an approach for resolving sharp lateral contrasts in subsurface properties, particularly shallow faults and depositional features near the seafloor. Our results provide improved constraints on shallow submarine features in Monterey Bay, including fault zones and paleo-channel deposits, thus highlighting one of many possible geophysical uses of the marine cable network.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗

Ab initio calculations of low-energy quasiparticle lifetimes in bilayer graphene

Motivated by recent experimental results we calculate from first-principles the lifetime of low-energy quasiparticles in bilayer graphene (BLG). Here, we take into account the scattering rate arising from electron-electron interactions within the GW approximation for the electron self-energy and consider several p-type doping levels ranging from 0 to ρ ≈ 2.4 × 10 12 holes/cm 2 . In the undoped case we find that the average inverse lifetime scales linearly with energy away from the charge neutrality point, with values in good agreement with experiments. The decay rate is approximately three times larger than in monolayer graphene, a consequence of the enhanced screening in BLG. In the doped case, the dependence of the inverse lifetime on quasiparticle energy acquires a non-linear component due to the opening of an additional decay channel mediated by acoustic plasmons.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Anisotropic Thermal Transport in Quasi-2D Ruddlesden-Popper Hybrid Perovskite Superlattices

Two-dimensional hybrid metal-halide perovskites (2D-MHPs) have emerged as important solution-processed semiconductors with favorable optical and electronic properties for diverse applications in photovoltaics, optoelectronics, and spintronics. The quasi-2D layered structures, featuring large acoustic impedance mismatches between the organic and inorganic sublattices, are expected to result in distinct and anisotropic thermal transport properties along the cross-plane and in-plane directions. Here, we introduce transducer-free vibrational-pump-visible-probe (VPVP) approaches that enable accurate quantification of anisotropic thermal transport properties in various archetypical single-crystalline 2D-MHPs. Specifically, using VPVP spectroscopy and VPVP microscopy, we measure the anisotropic thermal diffusivities of 2D-MHPs with systematically varied Pb-I octahedral layer thicknesses, as well as organic spacer types and lengths, revealing how these structural parameters alter the cross-plane and in-plane thermal transport properties in distinct ways. While diffuse interface scattering plays an important role in dictating cross-plane thermal transport, in-plane thermal transport is primarily determined by phonon transport within interconnected inorganic layers. Density functional theory incorporating four-phonon scatterings provides further insight into the low thermal conductivity and modest thermal conduction anisotropy in 2D-MHPs. Our work demonstrates a new all-optical and noncontact method, which requires minimal sample preparation and allows direct visualization of cross-plane and in-plane thermal transport, potentially compatible with sample environments. The demonstrated VPVP approaches can advance understanding of thermal transport in 2D-MHPs as well as wide-ranging hybrid and polymeric semiconductors beyond 2D-MHPs.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

A Two-Dimensional Linear Bicharacteristic FDTD Method

The linear bicharacteristic scheme (LBS) was originally developed to improve unsteady solutions in computational acoustics and aeroacoustics. The LBS has previously been extended to treat lossy materials for one-dimensional problems. It is a classical leapfrog algorithm, but is combined with upwind bias in the spatial derivatives. This approach preserves the time-reversibility of the leapfrog algorithm, which results in no dissipation, and it permits more flexibility by the ability to adopt a characteristic based method. The use of characteristic variables allows the LBS to include the Perfectly Matched Layer boundary condition with no added storage or complexity. The LBS offers a central storage approach with lower dispersion than the Yee algorithm, plus it generalizes much easier to nonuniform grids. It has previously been applied to two and three-dimensional free-space electromagnetic propagation and scattering problems. This paper extends the LBS to the two-dimensional case. Results are presented for point source radiation problems, and the FDTD algorithm is chosen as a convenient reference for comparison.

Beggs, John H.↗

Elevated Temperature Fatigue Endurance of Three Ceramic Matrix Composites

High-cycle fatigue endurance of three candidate materials for the acoustic liners of the Enabling Propulsion Materials Nozzle Program was investigated. The ceramic matrix composite materials investigated were N720/AS (Nextel 720, 3M Corporation), Sylramic S200 (Dow Corning), and UT 22. High-cycle fatigue tests were conducted in air at 910 C on as-machined specimens and on specimens subjected to tensile cyclic load excursions every 160 hr followed by thermal exposure at 910 C in a furnace up to total exposure times of 2066 and 4000 hr. All the fatigue tests were conducted in air at 100 Hz with a servohydraulic test machine. In the as-machined condition, among the three materials investigated only the Sylramic S200 exhibited a deterministic type of high-cycle fatigue behavior. Both the N720/AS and UT-22 exhibited significant scatter in the experimentally observed high-cycle fatigue lives. Among the thermally exposed specimens, N720/AS and Sylramic S200 materials exhibited a reduction in the high-cycle fatigue lives, particularly at the exposure time of 4000 hr.

Kalluri, Sreeramesh↗